Dragon Nymphs
by Anime-05
Summary: Rating will go up later on and will have shounen-aiyaoi. Someone is after Hiei. What do they want? Who are they? With a new trio of fighters that serve under Hiei, they get dragged in. But wait a minute..the fighters are WHAT!
1. A Trio of Trouble

**A Trio of Trouble**

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* * *

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, don't bother. I don't know where this is going. Thisis my very **FIRST** YYH fic, so be nice in the reviews, if you leave any, please. And remember people, there **IS** a line between constructive criticism and flames/destructive criticism. A very **THIN** line.

* * *

Yuusuke opened his eyes to see Kurama looking right back at him. The thing was, Kurama appeared to be upside down. "Kurama, why are you standing upside down?"

"Actually," the fox told him,"you're the one hanging upside down."

Yuusuke was going to reply until he finally registered the blood rushing to his head, giving him a headache. "Then get me down!" After a moment, he asked, "Andwhy am I even up here?"

A low, mocking voice answered him. "Do you not remember?" The detective instantly knew who it was. Hiei stepped into view, proving his assumption.

"No.Should I?"

Hiei snorted disdainfully. "I wouldn't. As embarrassing as it looked for you two."

"Two who?"

Kurama calmly pointed to Yuusuke's right. Hanging upside down, next to him, was Kuwabara. "Why is he up here?"

"The same reason you are genius." Hiei prodded Kuwabara with the handle of his katana and jumped away as the orange-haired fighter woke up and swung at him. "Careful," his tone mocking, "wouldn't want to fall, now would you?"

Kuwabara looked down and saw the floor. "Huh! Why am I hanging here? You did this, didn't you short-stuff?"

The orange-haired fighter was rewarded with an iritated glare. "Why do you still call me that?" Hiei had changed a good deal, in height and style. Currently, he was around Yuusuke's height, perhaps an inch shorter than the detective. He had on the black pants he usually wore in the past as well as the same shoes, but now he only wore a loose sleeveless white shirt with a black sleeveless trench coat. A pair of black shades rested in his spikes, right in front of his starburst.Yukina had bought them for him, under Keiko's suggestion. He saw no point in having them, the sun wasn't **that **harsh on his eyes. But of course, it was from Yukina, so he kept and treasured the item. A longer, but stillwhite, bandana/sash covered his Jagan and the ends hung loosely behind him. (A/N: Like Sanosuke's headband from Rurouni Kenshin.) He also sported a pair of black fingerless gloves, like now, at random. It lessened the damage of sword-handling to his rough hands.

"Uh, well, guess I've gotten used to it. Get over it!"

Hiei did not respond and Kuwabara was going to say something else until he noticed fire burning at the end of what looked like a vine. _Fire and vines..heh… … Fire and vines! _"I'm gonna fall! Hiei cut it out!"

The Jaganshi shook his head. "I'm not doing that. I would, but it isn't me."

Kuwabara paused. He gasped as three powers hit his senses. "I sense three strong spirit energy sources!"

"Now if only you'd realized that **before** you and the detective over there decided to fight them." Hiei watched blankly as Kuwabara fell from where he was, the fire having burned off the vine holding him.

"Why did we fight them again?"

"Because you thought it was ridiculous for three **females** to be strong enough to fight alongside us in a mission or two."

Yuusuke frowned. "And?"

Kurama sighed. "And so you said that they had to prove their strength and fight you." _And what a foolish move that turned out to be._

Kuwabara blinked. "So where do I come from in all of this?"

"You got in the way and said that women don't belong in battle. Naori hit you and a fight started."

"I fought a girl!"

Hiei resisted the urge to just roll his eyes, a gesture he'd picked up from someone or another. "Yes, you idiot, you did. It was three women, actually, and you lost. Miserably."

"That bad?" Yuusuke didn't sound too sure. _They're just joking..right?_

"Yes. That bad."

Kurama frowned to himself. _I'd recognize those techniques anywhere…but who has the power to summon them? Is it an enemy? … Or someone we know…_

Yuusuke noticed Kurama's pensive expression. "Something wrong Kurama?"

Attention was drawn to him. "No. Nothing. I think Koenma is waiting; we'd better get going. His office is just outside the door." He started to walk away and Kuwabara, now finished cursing Hiei, followed. Kurama paused in the now-open doorway. "Hiei…would you cut Yuusuke down please?" Hiei had been in a sour mood lately, perhaps this would cheer him. _Though I do regret it being at Yuusuke's expense..._

Hiei smirked slightly, unsheathing his katana. "Sure…"

Yuusuke paled. _I usually like that look, but now that it's focused on me…_ "Now Hiei…"

* * *

Koenma sighed. _That was a disaster. I thought letting Yuusuke and Kuwabara fight them would get them to cooperate, but they lost…They've always overcome impossibly hard opponents._

Botan sat on her oar, absently twirling a lock of blue hair with herdelicate fingers. "Koenma-sama, don't you think that it was a bit rash to call them here? You **know** that you don't really have the spirit energy to justify calling them here. And then having Yuusuke and Kuwabara fight **all three**? I know that Yuusuke and Kuwabara are good, but still…" _They could have been **killed**!_

"I know, I know! It's just that…well, there was nothing else I could do. They were going to hit me! Letting them fight was the only way." Or, at least, as far as he was concerned.

* * *

"Letting them fight one would have been hard enough." Kurama moved forward and stopped a couple feet from Koenma's desk. Kuwabara leaned against a wall.

Koenma blinked. "You're alive?"

Kuwabara looked him strangely. "And why wouldn't I be?"

Kurama sighed again. _I'm getting a headache. Did Koenma tell them nothing?_ "The three 'women' you fought were all demons and very powerful. They **always** kill their opponents, regardless of the situation. I wonder why they just left like that…"

Botan paled and bit her lip. "Ummmm…"

_I hate it when she says that. _Koenma looked at her. "Um, what?"

Botan coughed lightly. "Well, the only time that the Trio spares someone is if their current master tells them to do so, or if they plan to come back. And the latter is far more likely."

Kuwabara made a face. "So who are these three **girls** that beat me and Urameshi? If they're even girls for real."

* * *

**THUMP**

"Hiei!"

Koenma and Botan shot Kurama questioning looks as the fox coughed slightly, almost wincing.

Yuusuke walked through the door, rubbing his head. "Stupid jerk."

Kuwabara was looking around. "Who are you talking about?" He pointed to a corner opposite Koenma's desk. "Yami-boy is over there and we didn't do anything." Hiei had a smug smirk on his face and resisted the urge tohit somethingupon hearingKuwabara's other nickname for him. He hated that name, like he did any other nickname.

Yuusuke shook his head, flushing slightly as he recalled exactly what had happened. He was mumbling about fast and flirty youkai and something like 'katanas shouldn't be allowed in the building'.

Kuwabara decided to ask later and reiterated, "Like I said, who are these three that beat us?"

Kurama arched an eyebrow. "Koenma, why haven't you told them? You know that the Trio could have been summoned at any time, granted that the opposing youkai has enough power."

_Trio? _Yuusuke gave Koenma a pointed look and asked sarcastically, "Something we should know?"

Koenma groaned and pressed two buttons on a remote that he had picked up. The walls parted to reveal a large screen. "These were your opponents." The screen showed three figures. However, all three had on cloaks, so you couldn't see anything really.

_Do these people have a tape of everything! _Yuusuke interrupted. "Hey, I can't even see what they look like! They could be **guys** for all we know!"

Hiei looked at the screen, now standing beside Kurama. "They are female, I can guarantee that." He looked to Koenma. "Tell me Koenma, how did they get here anyway? No one can come here, unless they die, which the Trio has not; or unless someone brought them here. The other two alternatives are that somebody summoned them, and that's just suicide; or…someone forced them here…also a stupid move. So what happened?" Hiei smirked slightly as Koenma began to squirm. If Koenma was a telepath, he would have heard Hiei's mental laughter.

_He asked me that on purpose!_ Koenma coughed and cleared his throat. "Ummmm, back to the tape." Everyone noted that he didn't answer.

* * *

The screen flickered to another image. Two quarreling youkai, Class A, broke into a fight. Both fought with fire and eventually one pulled away. A ring of fire surrounded him in a circle and the wind picked up. Orbs of red, blue, and black came out of nowhere. As each touched the ground, they flared and the three figures from before stood there. The youkai that had pulled away smirked as the other Class A backed away, clearly afraid. "No…it's not possible! Y-you summoned t-the…"

The youkai that called the three others collapsed with a devious smile. "Guardian Trio…your task is to destroy him." He passed out.

The other youkai gasped and powered up. _Why am I even trying to_

One of the figures shook its head and stepped forward. And it stood there. Motionless.

The other youkai, powering up, looked confused. _Not enough power…that's it! That idiot must not have had enough power to make a command. I have a chance! _"Take this!" Six massive balls of fire came rushing forward, but the Red Guardian simply stood there. The attack connected and the youkai rejoiced, he was saved; or so he thought. The smoke cleared and there wasn't a scratch or even a mark on the Guardian. A glow of red in its eyes, and immediately a large flame consumed the opposing youkai. His screams died out after a few minutes and the ashes blew away a couple seconds later. The Red Guardian walked back to the other two. "How pathetic. Why were we ever summoned here?"

The second figure opened glowing blue eyes. "I don't know. Is he dead?"

The third Guardian that came from the black orb walked over to the fallen youkai and prodded at him with its foot. The youkai didn't stir so the Guardian walked away. A flash of black and the Guardian was gone. The Red Guardian yelped in surprise. "I hate it when that happens!"

The Blue Guardian sighed. "I guess that youkai, even as a Class A, just barely had enough power to call us. Let's go report." A swirl of blue and the Guardian was gone.

The last Guardian sighed. "Why me?" A spiral of red and the unconscious youkai was alone. The screen went blank.

* * *

"Was that supposed to help?" This sarcastic remark came from Yuusuke.

Koenma looked unsure. "That doesn't matter. Right now, you five need to find them and bring them back." Botan was ready to say something. "Yes Botan, by **five**, I mean you have to go as well." Botan paled, but said nothing.

"For what?" Kuwabara obviously didn't approve. Of the search or Botan going. "I don't really buy this 'three-girls-just-whooped-your-ass' thing. Plants are Kurama's thing and it's pretty hard not to notice a second youko walking around."

Yuusuke, for once, agreed. "Yeah. And besides, if it happened then why don't I remember?" Kuwabara nodded to this.

Botan chimed in. "How exactly are we supposed to find them Koenma-sama?"

Kurama frowned at the blank screen. "Yes. And not only would that be very dangerous, practically suicide, but it's also just next to impossible."

Hiei smirked. _I'll make you spill it Koenma… _"Why would you want them here? That would be a stupid move. They'd only try to kill us all. And besides, it'd be easier to just call them."

Koenma gave Hiei a suspicious look. "What do you mean by that? Who would summon them here?"

"You certainly had no qualms about force-calling them here to begin with."

"Yes, but—" Koenma froze. He'd been caught, as everyone was glaring at him now.

Even Kurama looked quite unhappy. "**You** called them? And under force? Have you gone mad?"

* * *

Hiei walked back into the room where the fight took place. No one moved, but simply watched him through the somehow clear metal-looking window to the room. His voice was clear. "Now watch carefully children," a smirk, "I'm only going to do this once."

Koenma gasped. _He wouldn't! Not here! _"Hiei wait!" Too late.

The door to the room slammed shut and wind from nowhere blew Hiei's clothes to-and-fro. The ends from his headband flew straight up. His shades, however, as well as his spikes, somehow stayed in place. Fire, ice, and some dark essence surrounded him in a ring. He raised a hand and snapped once with a gloved hand. The rings of fire, ice, and darkness rose and swirled and they couldn't see him.

"Hiei!" Yuusuke tried to get in. "You idiot! You'll get yourself killed, get out of there!" The door wouldn't move and a shock of electricity threw him back. He could only watch with the others as Hiei continued whatever he was doing.

Three familiar orbs came down and passed through the door. The elemental rings died down along with the wind, only to flare back up as the orbs touched the ground. A flash of black, a swirl of blue, and a spiral of red…

They were here. All three Guardians stood, cloaks and all.

* * *

Hiei walked out slowly, looking a little tired, and they followed. Everyone outside froze as they walked out.

Koenma gulped. _I don't know whether I should be shocked at the fact that Hiei could summon them and **did**, or the fact that they haven't tried to kill anyone yet._

The Trio apparently had no such intentions as they calmly walked behind Hiei. Of course, Kuwabara had something to say. "Hey! Are you the three guys that beat us? Well I bet ya can't do it again! I don't even remember you beating me. You don't look so tough. … Hey get over here!"

The Black Guardian turned to Kuwabara and made several quick movements. Suddenly, Kuwabara found himself against the wall. He almost gulped, but didn't as he found a **very** sharp katana at his throat. The being said nothing, but pressed the katana, drawing a slight line of blood. Kuwabara freaked out. "Hey! Somebody do something!" He shut up, as the katana was pressed more. Nobody moved, fearing that movement would end his life. Hiei, however, had no problems with moving. Yuusuke hissed at him. "Hiei! Are you crazy? I know you hate him and all but really! Get back here!"

Hiei ignored him. _That's enough fun for now. I don't need an extended sentencing over something like this. _"Nothing is going to happen. That's enough Chiiri. Step away from the buffoon."

The Dark Guardian tilted a head, but did as he said. Kuwabara slid to the ground and landed with a hard thump. Kuwabara looked indignant at the insult, but grateful for the release. The other two Guardians kneeled at Hiei's feet. "You called sire?" The Dark Guardian, Chiiri, kneeled as well.

Koenma's eyes bulged. "'Sire'! Hiei what is this!" _He can't be demon royalty, can he!_

Hiei ignored them. "No need for that. You may get up now. You don't really have to do it at all."

"Whatever you say, Hiei-sama."

Hiei shrugged. "Hn."

Kurama cautiously approached Hiei. None of the Trio moved, but were watching him very carefully. "Hiei…what is this?"

"They have, for whatever reason, decided that I'm their permanent master now and will only go todemons that summon them if I say they can."

"So they'll do whatever you say?" Kuwabara stood shakily.

"Yes."

Yuusuke looked unsure. "So this **really powerful** Trio here will do **anything** you say?"

_Idiots. _"Anything."

"No matter what?"

Hiei was getting a tad annoyed, well, moreso than he already was. "Yes."

"So...are they guys or what?" He whispered this part to Hiei.

Hiei arched an eyebrow. "I told you. They're all female."

Yuusuke didn't look sure. "I don't know… Since when are youkai, female to boot, that powerful? I say they're guys."

Kuwabara joined in. "Yeah. No way they beat **both** me **and** Urameshi."

Hiei shrugged. "Just because your **ningen **females are weak, that doesn't mean our youkai females are as well." _Quite the opposite in fact._

* * *

Kuwabara and Yuusuke snickered as Hiei turned to the standing Trio. "Hey, I bet if they are women, they're probably hideous."

Kuwabara smirked. "Yeah. When's the last time we saw a gorgeous killing machine?" He paused. "Well…I don't quite swing that way, but Kurama **is** kinda pretty...for a guy."

Yuusuke rolled his eyes. "Kurama doesn't count, he's a youko."

"And who's to say that one of these three aren't youko?"

"Kurama's different."

"Why is that Urameshi?"

"'Cause he's on our side genius. Any other pretty boys you'd wish to point out?"

"And well…I can't stand him most of the time, but Hiei looks pretty good. For a shrimp."

Yuusuke gave him a disbelieving look and was on the verge of laughing at him outright. _Scratch that. _Yuusuke started to laugh loudly at his friend. "After all the arguments, all the insults, and all the beatings you got whenever you tried to fight him,you're trying to tell me that you have a **thing** for him? And you'll have to figure another name, aside from 'shrimp' now. Seeing as to how he's not so short anymore."

Kuwabara flushed. "No! Don't be stupid, Urameshi. I don't swing that way. It's just his eyes look really cool. They're all crimson and ruby looking."

Yuusuke gave him a long look. "So you're in love with Yukina **and** you've developed the hots for her **brother**, or his eyes anyway, which somehow makes him'pretty'. You can't have both siblings man." _Must be something in the family._

"Or maybe it's just him. Yukina's eyes don't have that weird edge to them."

"That's because Yukina is an innocent little koorime. Hiei? The **last** thing you could call him is innocent. Can't even use the two in the same sentence unless you're comparing him to someone innocent. But as for that other thing aboutHiei…even **I** have to admit he looks pretty good. The shades and gloves were a nice touch. Not to mention the change in clothing isn't too bad either." Yuusuke ran an eye over the oblivious Jaganshi. _Nope. Not bad at all._

"… … Whatever, I still say that these three have got to look bad. They **are** the bad guys right?" The orange-haired fighterwas not counting the female opponent they ran into on the way to saving Yukina.

"I don't know. Except for beating you twice and me once, I guess they haven't really done anything. Unless Koenma left out some more stuff."

"Look! They're taking the cloaks off." Kuwabara and Yuusuke snickered further as they imagined how they would look.

* * *

Hiei looked at the Trio. "Take those things off. It's not necessary for you to wear them."

Yuusuke and Kuwabara moved forward to see, but…well…they didn't get what they were expecting.

The three youkai were actually quite attractive. All three were delicately pale, had slim and well-curved figures, and lean builds. The Blue Guardian had blue hair, icy eyes, and blue armor with gold-rims. The armor only covered her chest (but left her stomach open), her forearms, her calves, and formed a skirt around her waist that reached mid-thigh; leaving everything else…bare. She had armored boots as well. The same went for the other two, except that the Red Guardian had red hair, brown eyes, and red armor with black-rims. The Dark/Black Guardian had black hair, violet eyes, and black armor with silver-rims. The Dark Guardian leaned against a wall as the other two just stood around.

Hiei turned to Yuusuke. "Satisfied?"

Yuusuke blinked slowly. "B-but th-they're…they're…"

"Gorgeous." Kuwabara was just staring.

The Red Guardian tilted her head at them. "You act like you were expecting something else." _Jerks._

_Surprise, surprise. _The Blue Guardian twirled some strands around her finger. "They probably were, Naori."

Naori shrugged. "Oh. Is there something you wanted Hiei-sama?"

Hiei looked at Koenma and pointed. "He wanted to see you."

Naori and Kaori looked and glared. Naori stepped forward. "Hey! I remember you, you creep. You're the dimwit who tried to force-call us here! You didn't actually have the power to summon us; you just manipulated your powers around a bit. I was about to burn you before you called your two guards on me. And then locked us in that room over there, trying to fight." A circlet of fire surrounded her hand and she held it out, as if to shoot. "Not gonna miss this time."

"That's enough Naori."

Naori immediately put out the flame at the sound of Hiei's voice. Kaori gave her twin a look. "Yes sister, you should calm yourself. Quit being so jumpy, you've had your fun for the day."

"You're sisters?" Botan had ventured closer, not quite as scared as before.

"Yes."

"All three of you?"

Naori shook her head. "Nope. Me and Kaori are twins. But Chiiri…we don't know where she's from… She never said…"

The Dark Guardian, Chiiri, didn't move. She simply kept her position, leaning against the wall, eyes closed, arms crossed. A strange black aura waved around her. It was hard to tell if she'd even heard the reference to herself. Violet orbs opened and gave a long look. Her response? "Hn." She closed her eyes again.

Naori put her hands on her hips. "**Ugh**! You and Hiei-sama are **so** **freakin' alike**, I **swear**!" She looked at said youkai and tapped her foot.

Hiei was sitting in a corner, legs folded and arms crossed. He opened his eyes, not including the Jagan, and gave a long look that mirrored Chiiri's. He frowned slightly and looked up. He looked back down to them. "Hn." And closed his eyes again.

Kaori giggled, as Naori got more frustrated, ranting about Chiiri and Hiei's lack of response and how even youkai needed social lives.

Yuusuke smiled. **Pretty ladies. I like Naori. She gets to the point. She's loud. Reminds me of…me. Heh.** "That's what I've been **trying** to tell Hiei this whole time. Believe it or not, I think I've made progress. Hey, you guys..erm…ladies aren't completely mindless followers like I though at first, after all."

Naori gave him a strange look. "I suppose I'll take that as a compliment." _Jerk._ "Your head feeling okay? Didn't mean to drop you like that." She turned to Kuwabara. "Or was it **your** vine I set to fire?"

Kuwabara had that lost-in-a-daydream look on his face. "Yeah…you dropped me." He snapped out of it. "Hey! You're the one that dropped me!"

Naori blinked at his reaction changes. "Ummmm…yeah." _Weirdo. _"That was me."

He stared and she stared back. He still stared and she rolled her eyes, walking off. She went over to Chiiri and jumped back. Kaori was at her side. "What's wrong?"

Naori was staring at the dark aura. "That aura…something's up. Hey, Hiei-sama…" She turned and gasped in surprise. A dark violet aura surrounded him as well._ What **is **that? _"Hiei-sama?"

A sharp noise went off. Hiei and Chiiri's eyes snapped open and they grabbed at their heads,moving to their kneesto their knees. Hiei's shades clattered off and slid across the floor as he shook his head forcefully. Naori went to Hiei with his shades and Kaori went to Chiiri. Yuusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara went in separate directions, looking around for the source.

"Hiei what's wrong?"

Hiei shook his head as he cradled it in his hands, trying to block out something, it seemed.

"What is it? Is it the noise?"

Hiei didn't respond as his eyes dilated, but he managed to force out a, "Turn the noise off. Turn it off now!"

Naori jumped up and charged up a fireball.

Kaori was over by Chiiri. "Where's the noise; do you know?"

Chiiri ignored her, or couldn't hear her, and shook her head. The Dark Guardian was more concerned with blocking off any sounds to her ears. "Make it stop. The voices; make it stop!"

Kaori threw a look to her twin. "Naori, Chiiri says there are voices."

"But everybody else hears just some noise."

"No…" Hiei struggled to sit upward. It's like these voices are trying to pull me /with/ them. He couldn't block anything out. "There **are** voices. Pulling us with them. Somewhere…or that's what they're trying to do. I…can't tell where the noise is from. I—" Hiei stopped.

Chiiri slowly removed her hands from where they were. "The noise…those voices…are gone?"

* * *

Kurama examined the device. Kuwabara had found the device back in this closet, saying it had Spirit Energy. _But how? And who put it here?_

Yuusuke was sitting in the floor, a little disappointed at the lack of a fight. "So why do you think only Hiei and that Chiiri-lady were affected?"

Kurama had a pensive look on his face. "I'm not sure. We don't know enough about Chiiri to tell what she does and does not have in common with Hiei. And to tell the truth…we don't know enough on Hiei either. All we have is facts from files that Koenma had. We can't even approach Enma-sama and even if he knows...I have the feeling that he would not tell us anyway."

Kuwabara shook his head, mumblingto himself,and Kurama turned to him.

"What is it? If you have an idea, then go ahead and say it. Anything is a possibility now."

"Well, I **did** sense some sort of connection in their spirit energy. It was like some link or something."

"A link?" Yuusuke scratched his head. _What? Is he related to her or something? _Something on the device caught his eye. "Hey what's that?"

Kurama turned the cube-like contraption and saw a sign on it. "It's an insignia. I've seen it somewhere before, but I don't remember…" _Yet another problem to solve._ Kurama sighed to himself. _I had enough to deal with before I came here and now look. The complications have doubled and now others are involved. I'm not going to make it through the day without an aspirin bottle or two. Hiei…I hope he's alright…_ He shook a familiar feeling that he distinctly did **not** like off and focused on Yuusuke.

Yuusuke was standing and heading back to Koenma's office. "Come on. Hiei and Chiiri looked pretty rattled before we took off."

* * *

They returned to find both youkai on the floor. Chiiri and Hiei were sitting exactly where they collapsed. They seemed to be looking at something. Botan was on her knees by Hiei and Kaori was by Chiiri. A blue light that they associated with healing energy came from both of them. Yuusuke rushed up looking back and forth between the two. "What the hell happened here!"

"We don't know. They said the noise was actual a bunch of voices trying to take them somewhere."

"To where?"

"They said they didn't know. They just kept asking us to make it stop and then they just started staring out at nothing." Kaori turned to Botan. "You can stop now. We're healing physical wounds that aren't there. It's a waste of our Spirit Energy. Something else is wrong with them."

Naori waved a hand in front of each of their faces. Nothing. "But what's wrong with them now?"

Kurama studied both. "It might be possible that they still here the noise or those voices. They were the only ones affected so maybe now they're the only ones who can hear it."

Kaori bit her lip. She was worried and Koenma didn't understand. Naori looked like she was going to go crazy. "**Hold it!**" Everyone looked to him and he pointed at the twin youkai. "You two are supposed to be cruel and heartless youkai. Along with Chiiri, yoursupposed group leader, the three of you are the Guardian Trio! You're supposed to be cold and calm and destructive! Why haven't you done something…destructive! You're sitting here worried, panicked, and the Blue Guardian looks ready to shed a tear or two! I called you here for the cold deadliness! Where is it? We need it for this mission!"

Silence. After that outburst, nobody said anything until Kaori slowly rose. A single glance at Naori and Kaori, in turn, sighed and nodded. Both walked over to Chiiri and Naori picked her up, holding her in her arms.

Kaori gave Koenma a long, sharp glare. "There is no such Trio, as you described, unless there is a fight. You base your words on what other youkai have seen and heard. It's true, but none of them know the truth. None of them know how we are when there's no fight, no blood to be shed, no life to destroy, and no havoc to wreak. We worry because two of our companions are out of commission. Something is wrong with them and there is nothing me or my sister can do to help them. At least nothing we know of. **I** am upset because Chiiri and Hiei could be **dying** for all I know and they would die. With no help, no chance because nobody knew what happened, what's wrong with them, or what's going on. This…" She gestured to theyoukai in Naori's arms and the motionless warrior, now being supported by Kurama. "…is the work of someone. Who is it? We don't know. But if that is really your opinion of us then perhaps we would be better off elsewhere until Hiei-sama calls us or until there is alarm over Hiei-sama's condition. Further alarm anyway."

"No."

* * *

So what do you think? The mission is explained next chapter! Review please!


	2. The Mission

The Mission  
  
  
  
Standard disclaimer apply and Chiiri, Naori, Kaori and all their stuff..etc. are mine.  
  
---  
  
"blah blah" = speech  
  
~blah blah~ =thoughts  
  
//blah blah// = Chiiri telepathy  
  
////blah blah//// = Hiei telepathy  
  
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Kaori turned sharply at the weak command. Chiiri stirred and forced Naori to put her down. "No. You two will leave without me."  
  
The twins gaped. "What?!"  
  
"You two are leaving without me. I'm staying."  
  
"But, but—"  
  
"No buts."  
  
---  
  
Hiei had a headache. ~What happened? And that smell… Am I in a garden?~ Hiei peeped an eye open and saw a mass of red silk. He recognized it immediately. Realization hit him and he almost jumped. ~Kurama…~ Kurama was gently half-cradling Hiei in his arms. Kurama was silent and apparently looking at something. Hiei turned his head and Kurama did not notice. Chiiri was standing, albeit in barely visible dizziness, and was saying something. ~She's staying here. But she wants Naori and Kaori to go. I see…~ He heard his name.  
  
"And Hiei-sama? What will he say?"  
  
Hiei shifted and this startled Kurama. Kurama muffled a gasp at his surprise. Hiei looked up at pure forest green. ~Why is he looking at me like that?~   
  
Kurama stared down at still-slightly-disoriented rubies. "Hiei…"  
  
Hiei got up, a hand to his head in an attempt to alleviate his headache. "He will say that Chiiri's right."  
  
Chiiri looked at him. //You okay?//  
  
Hiei glanced at her and back at the twins. ////Yes.////   
  
"Hiei-sama. You're alright."  
  
"Hai. But I think that you two should go home and wait."  
  
"What?!" Naori wasn't happy. She could handle being asked to stand around a little, but telling her to go while they suffered was too much. "You two are being targeted by someone! That much is obvious! And you want us to do what?!" Now under normal circumstances, Naori would never /ever/ raise her voice to Hiei, but she was talking to him as an older sister, not as his loyal guard.  
  
"Go home. I'm not putting you two in this."  
  
"But Hiei-sama..."  
  
"He's right. Go now. At least the two of you can stay clear of this."  
  
"You're determined about this aren't you?"  
  
The two nodded.  
  
"You're going to pull rank if we don't do it aren't you?"  
  
Another set of nods and Naori sighed. She looked to Kaori and the Blue Guardian looked away. "Alright. We'll go. But if anything big happens and we find out, we're coming back whether you want us to or not, got it?"   
  
Hiei glanced at Chiiri and nodded at Naori. "Fine."  
  
A spiral of red and Naori was gone. Chiiri looked at Kaori questioningly, she hadn't left with her sister. Kaori sighed and smiled weakly. She gave Chiiri and Hiei a sudden hug before they could say anything. Neither of them moved; they were shocked. "Don't you two dare die on us you hear me?" A swirl of blue and Kaori was gone as well.  
  
---  
  
Chiiri looked at Hiei. "They'll hate us for this."  
  
"Your point?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Okay so now what?" Yuusuke broke in.  
  
Hiei said nothing and Chiiri leaned against a wall. "What were you here for to begin with Hiei-sama?"  
  
Hiei shrugged and looked at Koenma. Kurama narrowed his eyes. "Yes, that reminds me. Why did you say those things to them? That wasn't really necessary and you only made them angry." Kurama recited what Koenma said to Hiei and Chiiri.  
  
Koenma squirmed once more as all eyes were on him and began to sweat as two sharp glares from Hiei and Chiiri were on him. Ruby and violet pinned him. Hiei's voice was icy. "You. Said. What?"   
  
"Umm, I…well you see…"  
  
Chiiri's frosty tone cut him off. "No I don't see. Explain."  
  
Both youkai glared again. "Now."  
  
Koenma felt like wetting himself. ~Hiei was scary enough, but her too? … Wait a minute!! I'm the Prince of the Dead! I don't have to be scared. Hiei's still serving out his sentence anyway!~ "Now see here—"  
  
"No, you see here." Hiei was in his face in a heartbeat, squatting on Koenma's desk.   
  
Kurama bit his lip, thinking Hiei was going to harm Koenma. ~If he does, then his sentence could be intensified…~ He glanced to his right and saw that Yuusuke was ready to stop him if needed. Kuwabara looked unsure and Botan was nervous as hell. "You are wrong. Understand?" He didn't let Koenma answer. "Of course you do. The next time you see them, you're going to apologize to them aren't you?" Koenma nodded slowly. Hiei smirked and jumped off the desk. "Good. Let's go Chiiri."   
  
//Where are we going?//  
  
////To guard.////  
  
//Who?//  
  
////I'm going to make sure no harm has come to my sister. If someone is after me, then they might know of Yukina. I will not risk that.////  
  
//For someone that's supposed to not care for anyone, you sure aren't trying very hard.//  
  
////…////  
  
Chiiri smirked and in a flash of black, she was gone. Hiei shook his head. ~I'm getting too soft…great. That'll get me killed one day.~ Unlike Chiiri, he didn't know how to jump dimensions…yet. He was working on it.   
  
"Hiei wait." Kurama placed a hand on the youkai's shoulder. Hiei had grown a good bit, so he was close to leveling with Kurama…somewhat.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Will you at least meet us at Genkai's? We need to discuss the mission."  
  
Hiei snorted. "What mission?"  
  
"The one we came here for in the first place."  
  
"Hn." Hiei flitted away.  
  
---   
  
After a couple minutes…"He's left the Reikai now." Botan piped up after rounding up her scattered wits.  
  
"He's gotten faster…"  
  
"Yeah. Think he's been training?"   
  
Yuusuke pondered over Kuwabara's question. "He probably has. He might do that in his spare time, which is probably all the time, since Murkuro's loosened her leash on him."  
  
"I always wondered about that lady. Scary."  
  
"And Hiei /would/ be the only one who could look at her and not flinch." Botan shuddered. "Murkuro has got to be one of the scariest youkai I've met. She's so…so…"  
  
"Murkuro?"  
  
Botan nodded. "Yeah, that's it."  
  
Kurama turned his gaze towards Koenma. He still wasn't too happy with the Prince of the Dead, not to mention that Hiei was probably in a bad mood now, so getting him to cooperate could be more difficult than usual. "And about this mission…"  
  
Koenma cleared his throat, still sweating from his encounter with Hiei and Chiiri. ~Neither of them will go along easily now…as though it wouldn't be hard enough to begin with.~ "Alright, several powerful and extremely rare items have been taken from there designated vaults." Koenma pushed a button on his remote again and the large screen reappeared.   
  
--  
  
Yuusuke looked at the screen. ~Gotta get me one of those someday.~  
  
"Four items were stolen altogether. The serious part is that all items are used for a dangerous and ancient ritual. Here is the first item." On the screen, a thin flute appeared. It was about 2 feet and it curled at the end opposite the pipe hole. The flute was in the design of a blue and black dragon with the pipe hole being behind the dragon's head and highlighted a misty blue color.   
  
"K. So it's a flute. Big deal."  
  
"Well Yuusuke, this flute is called the 'Dragon's Piper'. It is used to lure the dragon caller of the user's choice. The possessor may lure as many dragon users as he pleases. Here's the second item." The screen showed a cube-like contraption that was completely black. There was a symbol on one side only. A small slit was just barely visible on another side, opposite the symbol.  
  
"Hey that the little cube-thing that we found before!"  
  
"Is that it Kuwabara? The thing you said had Spirit Energy? Well then that's one item down."  
  
"Not necessarily Yuusuke." All eyes turned to Kurama. Kurama pulled the device from his pocket. Half of it was gone.  
  
"What?!" Yuusuke moved closer to make sure. "Half of it is gone! What happened?!"  
  
"I've heard of this item. It's called the Dark Submission's Cube. This device let's out a specific frequency and pitch that when aimed at a target can do 4 things. Depending on what the user wants, the target could be knocked out, put in a deep sleep, put in great agony or possessed."  
  
"That's right Kurama. And it works on youkai only. Somehow, over the years, youko have developed immunity to all frequencies and pitches. The noise emitted from Dark Submission's Cube is only a small annoyance now. And it also is ineffective on humans with no Spirit Energy."  
  
"Well what category does that put me and Kuwabara in?"  
  
"Since you're now part-youkai Yuusuke, it cuts off your Spirit Energy completely for a while and Kuwabara would be temporarily paralyzed."  
  
"Well that's nice. So why is it disappearing?"  
  
"Well that is because whoever took is now using an ancient and powerful spell to call it back."  
  
"Just great. Anything else?"  
  
"Yes. There's more. The next stolen item." Now an orb appeared. It looked like an ordinary orb, except for the elemental designs of fire, ice, and plants etched onto it.  
  
"Okay, I see an orb with pictures on it. Big deal."  
  
"Well the 'big deal', Kuwabara, is that this orb can steal Spirit Energy Souls."  
  
"Spirit Energy I've heard of, but Spirit Energy Souls? What the hell is that?"   
  
Kurama regarded the orb with weary recollection. "I remember something like this. Spirit Energy is your actual power and can be recovered, but when your Spirit Energy Soul is taken, it's gone for good unless the one who took it gives it back or unless the orb is destroyed. It's the counterpart to the actual soul."  
  
"That's correct Kurama." Koenma pointed to the elemental designs. "These represent what souls the orb is currently capable of stealing. So right now whoever has it can only take Spirit Energy Souls of fire, earthly, and ice descent."   
  
"K. So what's its name?"  
  
This is referred to as 'Orb of Energy Souls'. Activating it is as simple as calling out, 'Energy Soul Stealer!'. This is the final item." A book appeared. It was old-looking and leather-bound. It had nothing on it except for the words: Kunou no Inochi. Koenma turned the screen off with a frown. "The thing is the book was returned to us yesterday."  
  
Yuusuke shrugged. "So what's the problem?"  
  
"A section of the book is missing. It's been torn out."  
  
"Do you know what spells that section contained?"  
  
"I'm afraid not Kurama. We only know that the whole section is devoted to spells that conjure up mythical youkai."  
  
"Mythical youkai?"  
  
---  
  
Kurama's eyes darkened. "Yes."   
  
All eyes were on him, but Yuusuke was frowning slightly. "You okay Kurama?"  
  
"I'm fine. Mythical youkai are youkai that are either one-of-a-kind or just don't exist. Unfortunately, of the ones that exist there is only one kind that is still alive. There was a massive battle amongst the mythical youkai, started by the youkai that conjured them together. Some of the mythical youkai simply didn't get along and destroyed each other. As for the rest, they fell by being used against each other in wars. Youkai were trying to guard and control the land they'd covered. What better way to do so than to just kill those trying to take it from you? So the mythical youkai were used. After all the fighting, only one species of the mystical youkai survived. They are called Nymphs, I think. Their name was more specific, but I don't remember what it was. A male and female were all that was left. There was something special about the pair, but it was never passed down as to what that special 'thing' was. That's all I know."  
  
"Well that's great. So all we have to do is get the items back and kill the thieves right?"  
  
"Sort of. You see Yuusuke, these items, when used together can reincarnate the last pair of mythical youkai, whoever they are."  
  
"Reincarnate?"  
  
"Yes, whoever they choose can be turned into the mythical youkai pair, if they survive the process."  
  
"What the hell could they die from?"  
  
"I don't know any details, which is why I need you to ask Genkai about it for me. She's the only one who knows and would tell us."  
  
---  
  
Botan was already on her oar. "So this is the mission: find the thieves, recover the items, and get rid of the thieves before they can reincarnate the pair of mythical youkai, right?"  
  
Koenma massaged his temple. "Yes, that sums it up. Now go back to the Ningenkai and tell Hiei what's going on. He left with the Dark Guardian before I could explain."  
  
"For obvious reasons." Kurama was directing a rather dark look at Koenma.  
  
Botan came over, sweatdropping. "Now, now. We should go. Come on Kurama." Kurama allowed himself to be pulled away, giving Koenma one last look. Yuusuke and Kuwabara followed them.  
  
---  
  
Koenma plopped into his chair with a heavy sigh. "First it's the twin Guardians. Then Chiiri and Hiei. And judging from that last look with gold looking at me, I have Kurama /and/ his alter ego, Youko Kurama on my tail as well. This isn't going to be pretty.  
  
  
  
Well that's all. The twins went home, wherever that is, and hostility is in air. What will at Genkai's? Read and review to find out! 


	3. Back to the Ningenkai

Back in the Ningenkai   
  
--  
  
Disclaimer: Like I said in all my /other/ fics, I don't own so don't sue, and don't even bother, m'kay?  
  
---  
  
"blah blah" = speech  
  
~blah blah~ =thoughts  
  
//blah blah// = Chiiri telepathy  
  
////blah blah//// = Hiei telepathy  
  
Hiei balanced himself on a branch, silently watching Yukina tend to her garden. She appeared to be a delicate forest sprite amongst the beautiful and variously colored flowers. ~Always beautiful. I will protect you Yukina, at all costs. I can never be the brother you're searching for; I don't...qualify. For a...monster, for someone as...dark...as me to actually be related to an angel like you; it's ridiculous.~  
  
"You're brooding."  
  
Hiei looked down at Chiiri, who was perfectly blended with the shadows of the trees. "Just reflecting on things I will never be apart of."  
  
"You make it sound as though you don't deserve it after all you've been through. All you've been put through, all you've /had/ to go through. You make it sound as if you don't deserve /her/."  
  
"I don't. And I never will."  
  
"You're 'friends' seem to think otherwise."  
  
"They don't understand; that's all."  
  
"Or so you keep telling me."  
  
Hiei decided to change the subject. "How are they?" He was referring to Naori and Kaori.  
  
Chiiri noted the change, but played along. "Furious and frustrated. They won't speak."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"When will those other people get here? You mentioned something about a mission being the reason we were brought here to begin with."  
  
---  
  
"We're here!" Yuusuke casually strolled up to the tree Hiei had settled himself in.  
  
Kurama looked up at the apparition. ~Beautiful.~ Hiei was lying out across the branch, long-ways. Hiei briefly stretched as a cat would and let an arm and leg hang limply from the branch. Flawless pale skin glistened in the sunlight. A breeze caressed jet-black spikes graced with an ivory starburst in the middle and threw his head sash's ends to the wind. His shades remained on their spiked domain. ~Hiei...I just wish you would open up more. But lately...you've been even more closed off than usual. What are you hiding Hiei?~  
  
Yuusuke grinned at the two dark-clad youkai. "Aw, were you two waiting all this time, just for us?"  
  
---  
  
"Don't be so arrogant, boy."  
  
Chiiri regarded the elder woman. "Who are you?"  
  
"I should ask you the same thing, seeing as to /you're/ on /my/ property. I'm surprised that you don't already know who I am."  
  
"Your popularity has had yet to reach me then." Chiiri's tone was dry and sarcastic.  
  
"I feel that I should have recognized you though. Few youkai have the DSE mark."  
  
"Should I be flattered?"  
  
Hiei snorted. "Coming from her? You might want to consider."  
  
The elder woman gave a wry smirk at Hiei. "Jumping into my trees again are you? Maybe you should consider growing you're /own/ garden Hiei. All of them could be trees of different sizes, just so you could jump around or into them."  
  
Hiei pretended to consider this. "Hn."  
  
"Anyway, it would depend on whether you take the DSE mark. Good or bad?"  
  
"It's useful, I suppose. You're a strange old psychic, surviving the way you have all this time."  
  
"You knew after all then. You aren't as clueless as you look."  
  
"No. I could sense it. Vaguely...old woman."  
  
"Heh. You're a dark little wench."  
  
"Hag."  
  
"Slut."  
  
"Bitch."  
  
A long silence and the two simply stared.  
  
---  
  
"Sparks are gonna fly between those two."  
  
Kurama nodded, agreeing with Yuusuke. "Things could get rough here."  
  
---  
  
Chiiri and the psychic gave each other level gazes and looked ready to fight at the slightest movement.  
  
"My name is Genkai."  
  
"Chiiri." They glared at each other.  
  
"You've got something there. You're alright, for a devious DSE youkai."  
  
"Hn. You're sharp, for a cynical old ningen." They shook hands briefly, still studying the other.  
  
Hiei had a disinterested look on his face. "Are you two done playing now?"  
  
Genkai looked up. "Honestly, you grow a couple of inches and now you run the show. Must you always spoil my fun?"  
  
Hiei gave a bored shrug. "I've been told that I need /some/ sort of hobby."  
  
Chiiri arched an eyebrow. "Aside from fighting, I take it?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
Chiiri and Genkai shook their heads and walked off towards the shrine/temple/whatever. They looked at Hiei and muttered in unison, "Typical."  
  
---  
  
Yuusuke blinked at the whole exchange. "Okay. Did I miss something here?"  
  
Kurama shook his head, smiling. "If you did, then I missed it too." He looked to see that Hiei was still lounging in the tree, /his/ tree, at least when he was watching Yukina in her garden. Hiei looked ready to take a short nap. "Hiei."  
  
Hiei /was/ about to take a nap when he heard his name called by a familiar, smooth voice. He looked down and locked his eyes on bright emerald. "What is it Fox?"  
  
Kurama smiled at the nickname. ~I bet he doesn't even realize that he's given me one.~ Not that Kurama minded. Far from it, he liked the nickname. ~Sometimes, I can almost fool myself into thinking that there's some hidden reason he gives only me a nickname.~ "Come down from there. We're going inside to discuss our latest mission. We need you to come down from there to do that, okay?" Kurama wanted to move, to look away from those sharp crimson orbs, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.  
  
~Why does he always speak so softly to me? Like I'll break if his voice is too strong. Strange...hn.~  
  
Yuusuke, ignoring the eye lock between the two, smirked at something he saw in the distance. "Yeah, and besides that, you might want to get Kuwabara away from Yukina...again."  
  
Hiei looked back to the garden where Yukina had been and sure enough, Kuwabara was there, attempting to gain more of Yukina's favor. Hiei put on a blank mask. ~I shouldn't even bother anymore.~ He sighed to himself, depressed. ~I have no right to interfere with her life. Seeing as to how I would only taint her by being in it. That baka that calls himself Kuwabara seems to make her happy enough.~ Hiei closed his eyes and let out a resigned sigh. He flitted away. Seconds later, one could see him walking inside the temple.  
  
Yuusuke blinked again. "Is it just me, or did Hiei look a bit depressed right then?"  
  
Kurama nodded. "Yes, it appears that something other than Kuwabara's attempts at courting Miss Yukina is bothering him greatly. Do you suppose he'll be focused enough for the mission?" ~He's always been so depressed. I suppose that in his case, with his past as dark and painful as it was-and I don't even know about all of it-it's a given that he would have the right to be depressed.~  
  
Yuusuke scratched under his chin. "Hmm, he should be okay I guess. Hiei's a strong guy. Sometimes he's so strong it scares me, but he'll be alright I think. Maybe somebody should talk to the guy. What do you think Kurama?"  
  
Kurama smiled sadly. "Yes, talking to him /would/ help, if Hiei were the type to get help for his problems. You see, Hiei has this tendency to keep his pain and problems to himself. But you're right; someone should speak with him and clear it up. You'll do just fine Yuusuke." And he started to walk away.  
  
Yuusuke was about to nod before it hit him. "Wait a minute! Me?! Hiei won't talk to /me/! I was thinking that you would do it. Since you've technically known him longer and he always hangs around you."  
  
"That's because he refuses to let Yukina heal him. He comes to my house for recuperation."  
  
"See? He trusts you. So /you/ talk to him!"  
  
"That's the point. Hiei doesn't actually trust me, not truthfully. I don't think he knows /how/ to trust yet. And besides, there will be times when I won't be there to help you guys handle Hiei and talk to him. I may have to be somewhere else and then you guys would be stuck, completely clueless as to what to do with Hiei. But if you start now it won't matter if I'm present or not."  
  
Yuusuke scowled. "I guess you have a point. But why can't Botan or Kuwabara, or hell, even Yukina do this?"  
  
Kurama shook his head. "Hiei would never speak with Kuwabara. He'd be more prone to /hit/ him than sit and converse with him. And I highly doubt that Hiei would tell Botan anything at all. She's just barely able to keep the fact that Hiei is Yukina's older twin brother to herself as it is. If Hiei wasn't a telepath, then I'm sure Botan would have accidentally or maybe even purposely told Yukina or someone that would tell Yukina by now."  
  
"Since when is Hiei a telepath?"  
  
"He's always been a telepath. Though I have yet to see sign of him using his telepathy unless keeping Botan from spilling his secret."  
  
"Well that must be convenient. ... Wait a minute! He can't read minds can he?!" ~Oh man...if he can read minds then I'm in deep...~  
  
"I don't know. He's a telepath, but I'm not sure if he's psychic like that. I doubt it though." ~But what if he is...would he-no. He's no psychic. I would have noticed and Koenma would have called upon Hiei to use that power in missions long ago.~  
  
"And Yukina? Why can't /she/ do this? Of all people, surely he'd talk to her."  
  
"Not likely. She would make him nervous and a bit uncomfortable. He avoids her as much as he can without making it obvious as it is. He'd probably run away before she could get a hold of him and talk."  
  
"Say...you know what?"  
  
"What is it Yuusuke?"  
  
"For Hiei and Yukina supposedly being twins, they sure don't look very much alike."  
  
"True. They're only likenesses seem to be their eye color and their tear gems."  
  
"Are you /sure/ Hiei can make tear gems? I mean, he would actually have to /cry/ for him to make any. I've never seen the guy cry before."  
  
"He can. He told me so. Something like, 'It's /possible/ for me to cry tear gems, I simply don't know how to cry anymore.' I believe he was trying to tell me something then, but I don't know what it was."  
  
"Hiei is a mystery if I've ever seen one. That's probably the problem. Maybe Hiei doesn't know how to communicate with other people."  
  
"That is very insightful of you Yuusuke. How surprising."  
  
"Thanks Kurama, I-...Hey!"  
  
Kurama chuckled. "Come on. Hiei is probably getting more irritable by the second."  
  
"Yeah and Chiiri doesn't seem like the most patient of youkai. And Hiei's probably ready to smack Kuwabara."  
  
"He may resort to something more drastic than smacking if we don't hurry."  
  
"He won't /kill/ anyone with Yukina in there."  
  
"Yuusuke..."  
  
"Yeah Kurama?"  
  
"Yukina is still in her garden."  
  
Yuusuke blanched.  
  
---  
  
"Aaaa~h!!!!"  
  
"Get back here you coward!"  
  
---  
  
Kuwabara was half-running, half-stumbling down the stairs' pathway. "Help me!!"  
  
Hiei flitted from the top of the pathway and reappeared high in the air, katana in hand.  
  
"Urameshi do something!" Hiei swiped down and Kuwabara just barely ducked. But this move caused him to lose his balance and tumble down the stairs. Kurama stepped lightly to the side, letting Kuwabara continue downwards.  
  
Hiei stopped and watched him roll with a satisfied smirk. "Go ahead and stop him Chiiri."  
  
The Dark Guardian appeared a few steps ahead of Kuwabara's rolling form. A slightly angled foot stopped his tumbling. Kurama laughed from behind his hand, but Yuusuke was laughing openly. Yukina appeared behind Hiei, giggling. And Hiei suddenly froze; it didn't even look like he was breathing. But in an instant Kuwabara was up and beside Yukina, determined not to look like a fool in front of her. Hiei closed his eyes. He flitted upwards, into the air, and flitted a second time, this time appearing in front the temple's entrance and walked inside.  
  
Chiiri had a worried frown on her face. "Hiei...?" ~What is wrong with him?~ The dark-armored warrior disappeared in a flash of blackness.  
  
Kurama bit his lip, worried. ~What happened?~ "Come on. We have a mission to explain and Yuusuke, you still need to ask Genkai about that item or whatever it was that Koenma asked you to ask."  
  
---  
  
"So that's about it." Yuusuke looked at Hiei and Chiiri, gauging their expressions. Which is pretty hard when neither showed any outward expressions. Chiiri said nothing and leaned back, closing her eyes.  
  
Hiei's eyes narrowed momentarily, but he simply shrugged and nodded. "Hn."   
  
Kuwabara was still trying to get Yukina's attention. But currently, her attention was focused on Hiei. This didn't make Kuwabara very happy when he noticed. He smirked as he saw that Hiei was tilting his chair back a little. ~If I could just push it back...heh heh~ He could see Hiei's indignant expression as he looked up from the floor. He reached behind Yukina's chair and...  
  
*CRASH*  
  
Kuwabara blinked confusedly as he looked up at the ceiling. "Huh?" ~How did I get on the floor? Yuusuke was laughing at him again. "What's so funny Urameshi?"  
  
"Oh come on. You should have seen it coming!" He continues to laugh.  
  
Hiei stared dispassionately as Kuwabara sat, still confused on the floor. "You know...you shouldn't attempt things you don't have the speed to pull off. And trust me...I would know." He glanced at Yuusuke before closing his eyes and fiddling with one of the sash ends extending from his headband. (A/N: Remember, it's like Sanosuke's headband/sash from Rurouni Kenshin.) "So basically this is just a recover and destroy mission. Recover the items before they're used and kill whoever took them."  
  
Yuusuke blinked. "Ummmm, yeah. Pretty much."  
  
Genkai rose from where she was. "And I suppose you want me to tell you what I can?"  
  
"Well, yes, that would help."  
  
"Alright then. Chiiri and Hiei. You two are free to go. It is apparent to me that the both of you would like to leave and do whatever the hell it is you two do in your spare time."  
  
"My, aren't you observant? Do you wish to go Hiei-sama?"  
  
"Yeah. Isn't it about time anyway? It's around three."  
  
"Oh. I suppose it is. In the forest?"  
  
"In the forest." Hiei flitted away and a flash of black signaled Chiiri's exit.  
  
"K. Question. What was Hiei talking about when he says 'Isn't it about time anyway'? And Genkai why did you tell them to go? Now I'll have to tell them the info all over again."  
  
"No, you won't, you idiot. You won't tell them at all if you plan to have their full cooperation on this."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because from this info I have, they'll assume too much and isolate themselves from everyone and everything else until it's over. They will most likely try to do this on their own."  
  
"What?! But that's freakin' suicide!" Kuwabara and Yuusuke decided to hold the language while Yukina, who seemed to have no intention of leaving, was there.  
  
"It may be so, but they won't care. Kurama understands this, don't you Kurama?"  
  
Kurama sighed, but nodded. "Yes. If Hiei feels he has a personal hazard in this mission, he'll isolate himself and try to solve the problem/mission himself. And there is no doubt in my mind that Chiiri will follow him to the Seven Hells and back if he asked her."  
  
Yuusuke scratched his head and frowned. "Alright grandma, what's this info you say will drive them off?"  
  
"I have a vague feeling that Hiei and Chiiri are the targets of the thieves."  
  
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled at the same time.  
  
Genkai sat in a chair, closed her eyes, and leaned back comfortably. " No need to yell; you heard me. I think they are the targets for the reincarnation ritual."  
  
Kurama looked down. ~That's horrible. He'll run for sure if he finds out.~ "We can't tell him anything aside from what he already knows then."  
  
"What are you talking about Kurama?"  
  
"If either of them finds out that they could be a target, they'll leave to fix this themselves. And every time there is something Hiei /isn't/ supposed to know, he always finds out somehow. We'll have to prevent that."  
  
"Great. But why would they be targets?"  
  
"Think about it you idiot." Genkai cracked an eye open. "Both of them would be perfect for it. Especially with that DSE mark on them."  
  
"You know what? That's the second time you've mentioned that DSE mark, now what the hell is it?"  
  
"It means Dark Spirit Energy. Ever notice how Hiei's flame energy is black instead of the usual red, orange, or blue?"  
  
"Well now that you mention it..."  
  
"Exactly. And please tell me you remember the fact that Hiei is a dragon-masuta."  
  
"Okay. Fine. He can be used to become this Nymph-jin, because he's a dragon-masuta and has this DSE thing going for him. Why is Chiiri in this?"  
  
"Picture a female version of Hiei."  
  
"Ummmm," Yusuke wanted to say Yukina, but then he recalled his remark on how Hiei and Yukina looked nothing alike. "That's Chiiri I guess. You said she has a DSE mark, but does she use a dragon?" A loud rumbling from outside drew everyone's attention. Lightning and fire cackled in a dark sky around the forest outside of the temple. Two huge dragons sat outside. Neither seemed familiar. They looked tangible, not made of pure energy. "Well that's unexpected. Let's go check it out."   
  
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What's outside? And what was Hiei and Chiiri talking about? Review and read the next chapter to find out!!!! 


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